Former GOP staffer charged with DUI

Test reveals Brodkorb was drunk when car crashed on I-35E

Former Republican Senate staffer Michael Brodkorb faces DUI charges after blood tests determined he was intoxicated the night he crashed his car into a wall on I-35E in Lilydale.

Brodkorb, an Eagan resident, was charged on Feb. 12 by the Lilydale city attorney with two counts of fourth-degree DUI, one count careless driving and one count of wearing no seat belt.

The first three counts are misdemeanors, and the seat belt charge is a petty misdemeanor.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found that Brodkorb had an alcohol concentration of 0.10, which is above the legal limit of 0.08.

Brodkorb, 39, was driving a 2004 Subaru Forester northbound on I-35E on Jan. 23 when it hit the wall at the walkway and came to rest against the jersey barrier near the Mendota Heights-Lilydale border, according to the State Patrol report.

The road condition on the three-lane northbound section was described as dry at the time of incident.

Brodkorb was seriously injured in the crash and spent several days at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

If convicted of the misdemeanor charges, Brodkorb could face a $1,000 fine and or up to 90 days in jail. He faces a $300 fine if convicted of the seat belt violation.

Brodkorb has been at the center of attention after admitting to an affair he had with former Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, R-Buffalo, when he was her executive assistant.

He lost his job in December 2011, one day after Koch resigned her leadership position over an “inappropriate relationship” with a staffer.

Last July, Brodkorb filed a lawsuit against the Senate, the state of Minnesota and Secretary of the Senate Cal Ludeman claiming gender discrimination. He claims he was treated differently than female staffers who had affairs with male legislators.

The lawsuit, which is pending, is seeking damages in excess of $500,000.